Longing for the Moonlight
by LovelyFandomLover
Summary: There are many things that Emma Lockwood still doesn't understand about the supernatural, but two things for sure she knows: her pack always goes first and never trust a vampire. Damon/OC
1. Rash Decisions

**Author's Note:** Well, hello there, my readers. I'm not quite sure what am I doing writing another story, but that's going to be my problem, not yours. But I am excited and motivated, which is always a good combination when you're writing. So, let's hope for the best. I also just want to add that the first chapter is going to be short, an introduction to my OC, but the other chapters are going to be much longer.

 **Rating:** T for mild violence and language. I might change the rating later to M, in case I decided to write some explicit sexual scenes, but if I do, I'll put a warning at the beginning of the chapter.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own The Vampire Diaries, or anything familiar. Anything original such as dialogue, plot, characters and etc. is mine. The rest belongs to someone else. This is going to be the only disclaimer.

* * *

 **Chapter One: Rash Decisions**

* * *

Emma Lockwood understood that there were certain occasions where before you made a decision, you needed to think it through thoroughly to avoid any disastrous aftermath, but honestly, it was exhausting to always have to consider every single little detail.

If it was a shitty decision, it wouldn't be a problem, she would figure it out quickly and never make it again. After all, she was twenty. Meaning she was young, single and with little responsibilities. She should be allowed to make rash decisions. And that was exactly she was going to do.

Emma glanced around her small apartment and started making a mental list of what she was going to take with her, move to storage, give away or throw in the dumpster. She knew for sure she wasn't going to take or throw away any of her furniture, it was going to storage. She was going to be gone for a month, two the most—or at least that was what she hoped. Her plans were still a little murky.

Emma was still uncertain of going back to Mystic Falls. There was a time that she used to call that quaint town her home, but not anymore. Her life was in Florida, it had been for the past five years. So, going back to Mystic Falls wasn't something she was looking forward. Her anxiety could be because it hadn't been her idea in the first place to move back.

Initially, she had been resistant, she had no intentions leaving her pack and go to a town that seemed to detest werewolves. But it didn't take too much persuasion for her to agree. She had been in sore that night after a long and painful full moon. Not to mention she had been slightly tipsy and just wanted to be left alone. Sleeping on it, the next day, she called her uncle, agreeing to take part of the plan. From that day, their plan slowly started forming.

Her excuse of going back to her hometown was that she was going to take a break from college before she went to law school. Emma had been under a lot of pressure last semester with applications, deadlines, internships and needed some time to relax before diving back into school. It wasn't a complete lie, she did have plans to take some time off, but she had intended to spend her time looking for an internship in law firms, not trail after her father while he was working like she did when she was five.

Carol Lockwood had been suspicious at the announcement and bluntly asked if Emma was pregnant when she had called them. Emma had sighed in exasperation, not surprised that they expected for her to fuck up again, and after assuring her that there was no bun in the oven, her mother seemed more accepting of the idea of her moving back to Mystic Falls.

Emma glanced at her phone and saw that she had about five hours left before she had to go. Emma still had a lot to do and she groaned, throwing herself on her coach. Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to take a small break. It only lasted for a few minutes before she sat up abruptly. From the floor under her, she heard someone going up the stairs of her apartment. Emma recognized the heavy footsteps and distinct heartbeat. It wasn't until they reached her floor, she caught the familiar scent, Emma recognized who it was.

 _Mason_ , she internally groaned and pushed herself up from the couch.

Emma had hoped he wouldn't have shown up. She didn't want to deal with any more problems. But despite her wishful thinking, seconds later, without knocking, Emma heard someone unlock the door and open it, allowing themselves in.

"I'm going to need that key back," Emma told her estranged uncle, Mason Lockwood. It was probably the first time he had used it since she gave it to him over four years ago.

"Well, it's a good thing I decided to show up today."

"Yeah, out of all of the days you could have shown up the past few years ago, you chose today."

"What are you talking about? I've visited you before."

"No, you haven't," Emma said flatly. "I'm honestly surprised you even know where I live."

"I have a key to your apartment, why wouldn't I know where you lived?"

Emma looked at Mason in disbelief.

Despite the fact both, Emma and Mason had lived in the same state for the past five years, they rarely saw each other. The only reason Mason even had her apartment key was because her father had requested for Mason to look after her when she moved to Florida. To his credit, her uncle would show up sporadically at her university to make sure she wasn't dead in a ditch and then would leave as fast as he appeared. She was fine with the arrangement. The less he saw her, the less he would pick up with her nightly activities.

It was only about a year ago when her uncle became involved in her life, and only because he didn't have much of a choice. She highly suspected that it was because of his new vampire girlfriend had pushed him to seek her out. Emma had only met her a few times, and neither meetings were under the best circumstances.

"Are you alone?" she asked, changing the topic, and glanced at the door. A part of her expected for the vampire to appear out of thin air and stand on the threshold with her judgmental face.

"Yes, I came alone," he said in exasperation.

"Good, because there was no way I was letting inviting in the little leech in my apartment."

Mason shot her an irritated look but didn't say anything, disappointing her. Emma always liked to rile him about his vampire girlfriend.

"Is this all the progress you've done?" Mason had given her apartment a glance over and was frowning in disapproval. It still had everything, she hadn't done a lot of progress. She had packed all her essentials, from clothes, shoes, cosmetics, and accessories. The rest wasn't as important.

"Why are you here, Mason?" she asked him, not in the mood to deal with him. "Is this about Jules?"

"No, I'm not here about Jules or the pack."

"If you're not here for that, then I suggest you leave. I have a lot of shit to do."

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to go to Mystic Falls," Mason said bluntly, ignoring Emma.

"Come on, Mason," Emma groaned and gave him a look of disbelief. He truly was unbelievable. "It was your goddamn idea in the first place."

Since the last week, Mason has become completely against with Emma moving back to Mystic Falls. He kept arguing that their hometown was dangerous and would raise suspicion with her return, which made no sense for Emma. They had gone over any scenario that could cause suspicion and had a backup plan in case a problem arose.

The only problem seemed to be Mason's change of mind. A part of Emma wondered if Mason just didn't want her to leave Florida because she was going to leave him alone with the pack and psychotic girlfriend. But it didn't matter, she already made up her mind; she was moving back to Mystic Falls, whether Mason like it or not.

"Yeah, but now that I've thought about it, maybe it wasn't that good of an idea. It was stupid for us to ask you to do it."

"Did Kami tell you that?" Emma said snidely.

"It's Kathy, Emma, and no."

"Fine, Kassie."

"Emma, stop," he snapped, making her flinch at his unexpected harshness. "Jesus, can't you see that—" He stopped talking, clearly frustrated with her, and took a deep breath. He tried again, more calmly. "There's a reason why I left Mystic Falls and, now, for me to throw you to the wolves, it's just wrong."

Emma couldn't help and snort, earning a look of disapproval from her uncle. "Come on, you had to have done that on purpose."

"Emma, I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you."

"And we are. You act like I'm going to stay in Mystic Falls forever. It's just going to be for a few months. Dad actually thought it was great for me to go back. A great way for me to get a job in the Council and become familiar with the way the law works. He told me he wants me to become involved with the family business."

"What family business?" Mason looked confused.

"Hell, if I know, he just told me that he'll explain more when I get back. He's surprisingly really eager for me to come back. I guess he can't wait to show me off that I'm going to be a lawyer," she shrugged.

"Richard wouldn't be saying that if he knew that Mystic Falls was a death trap for us," Mason retorted darkly.

"My dad's not stupid," Emma said stiffly.

"I never said he was. But my brother has lead a very different life than us. Which is why I think that you shouldn't do this. He doesn't understand anything that's going on with us."

"Oh, and you do? You've only been a werewolf for a few months. You don't know everything, Mason, despite what you think."

"I know enough," he said bitterly. "I know that it's not a good idea for a werewolf to be on their own."

"You know what else is not a good idea? Dating a vampire. So, when you dump her, then you can give me shit for making crappy choices. But for now, shut up."

"I'm an adult, and I can make my decisions. I know what I'm doing. It doesn't matter what choice you make, it's how you deal with it."

"Fuck, you sound like Jules," Emma muttered in disdain. Their alpha had not been happy when Emma announced that she was going to leave the pack for a few months but reluctantly accepted that Emma had put her family first. Emma was surprised that no one from the pack had shown up in her apartment.

"Good. There's a reason why she's the Alpha, and not you." Mason gave her a smile, hoping to ease the tension. "You would have gotten us killed the first week."

"Asshole," Emma muttered and turned her back to him, going back to sorting out her bags that laid on her couch. She was only going to bring five of them, but she still had a bunch of clothes left in her room, making her wonder if she should bring one more. Two months was a lot, despite what she argued. The longest she had stayed at Mystic Falls since she moved out was three weeks.

"Should I bring a dresser?" Emma asked Mason, barely glancing at him. "I don't know if everything is going to fit in the storage room. I don't want to throw away and then when I come back buy everything all over again. That's just going to be expensive."

"Emma, can you just forget about the stupid furniture? If you're to be stubborn and do whatever you want, can we go over some basics?"

"Like what?" she asked impatiently.

"I know that Richard is aware, but does Carol even know that you're coming back?"

Emma finally stopped moving around and threw Mason a dirty look. "Of course, I told my mom. I wasn't going to show up without any warning. She would have killed me."

"That would've put a damper on our plans," he muttered.

"Yeah, but don't worry, she knows."

"How'd she take it when she found out you were dropping out of school?" Mason asked curiously, taking a seat on her couch and made himself comfortable.

"I'm not dropping out, it's called a taking a break," she snapped, her patience running thin. "I actually graduated early, asshole. But you wouldn't know since you only talk to me when you need something."

Mason winced. "Fine. I deserve that. But seriously, knowing Carol, she wouldn't be happy."

"You don't know my mom," Emma cut in defensively.

"You know what I mean."

"No, I don't know what I mean." But seeing Mason exasperate expression, Emma had to remind herself to calm down, or at least pretend, and forced herself to continue in a more nicer tone, even if it sounded like it killed her. "Obviously, Mom is not thrilled that I'm taking a year off from school. But after I basically told her I'm not pregnant and then proceeded to guilt tripped her that if I don't take a breather from school I was going to become suicidal, she agreed quickly. She was actually the one who suggested for me to stay at their house."

"You mean your house? You lived there too."

"You're right. My house. It was your home too. It was all our home. Maybe you can go back with me too and we'll all be a happy family and get to bond over how much it sucks to be a Lockwood."

Mason looked vaguely amused, but it was replaced quickly with disapproval. "Look, Emma, you're reckless when it comes to your personal life, but when it comes to other aspects of your life, you're very responsible."

"Here we go again." Emma went over to him and sat down next to him. She awkwardly patted Mason's leg and gave him a reassuring smile. "I told you I can handle it. I know what I'm doing."

"I don't think you do," Mason said, frowning. "Maybe I should…"

"No," she said quickly. "That would be too suspicious. You haven't been in Mystic Falls for years and then you decide to pay a visit for no reason. What would you tell them? Just wanted to reconnect? No one would buy that. Besides my dad would be pissed if you showed up without me. I should go."

"But it's not safe for you to go alone."

"If I can't handle it, I'll call you and you can come."

Mason still looked torn, but she could see the begrudging resignation. It wasn't a solid agreement, but it was better than nothing. There was a tense silence between them, none of them happy with the other choices.

"Emma, it's really important that you find the moonstone," Mason said so quietly that if she didn't have heightened senses, she would have missed it. Emma stiffened at the reminder and nodded tersely.

"And I will."

"Just remember, Emma, Mystic Falls is not for werewolves. That town will kill us," he warned her for the hundredth time. "Be careful."

"Mason..." she started, ready to kick him out of her apartment, but Mason interrupted her.

"You know what, don't worry about the apartment. I'll sort it out. Just worry about what you're going to take with you."

"Seriously?" Emma asked and eyed him skeptically.

Mason shrugged. "It's the least I can do. I'm the reason you have to pack all your shit," he said honestly. "I owe you."

"You owe me so much," she muttered but knew she shouldn't hold a grudge against him. She could see where Mason was coming from. Mystic Falls reeked of supernatural, and unfortunately, it had never been accepting towards her kind. She had been lucky to leave that town, she couldn't imagine the disaster that would have happened if someone in the town noticed her little problem each full moon.

Emma cast a quick glanced at Mason, and felt a surge of regret. Everything would have been easier if she and Mason trusted each other. They wouldn't be going in circles for the past few weeks and would have come to an agreement.

It shouldn't bother her his lack of trust, they had never developed a real relationship, not even the last few months. But they weren't close, and Mason had a vampire girlfriend, and Jules was worried about her, and Emma really didn't want to be all on her own again, and everything just was becoming too complicated.

Emma could hear his breathing shift like he wanted to say something but he closed his mouth, changing his mind, and shook his head. She could sense he wasn't being completely honest with her. Emma knew that she would never let her guard down with Mason because he had never shown his true intentions, not even when he approached her that night and tell her about his plan that involved the moonstone.

Mason had an ulterior motive, and that was fine with Emma. If he could have his secret agenda, so could she. Once in Mystic Falls Emma would be the one calling the shots. Mason and Carrie could fuck off if they had a problem.

Letting out a resigned sigh, Emma looked at the window to her left. She could see the sun slowly descend. In less than a few hours, it was going to be dark outside and the moon would be the only light the sky would offer. The next full wouldn't be until a few weeks when she was in Mystic Falls. Her first full moon all alone.

The next couple of months were going to be brutal and Emma hoped that she didn't run into any complications at Mystic Falls, or else it was going to be a bloodbath.

* * *

 **So, what do you think? I'd love to hear what you thought. Thanks again for reading it.**


	2. Dealing with the Family

**Author's Note:** Wow, this took a long time, and funny enough, I managed to upload this around midnight, which means I updated on my birthday (and no, this isn't an April fools joke, I was born this day).

But I'm back, hopefully with more chapters on the way. I'm so glad people are interested in this story. I was a little hesitant because of the lack of interest with the Lockwood's, but from the response that I've gotten, maybe a few you guys do like them.

I forgot to mention that I'm going to be doing flashbacks for a few chapters, to get a bigger sense of Emma's life back in Florida, so I hope you don't mind it. The flashbacks are going to be in italics (and sorry that the flashback is super long, I got a little carried away).

Also, can we please appreciate the amazing banner that **January Lily** made for this story. Thank you so much, January Lily!

Besides that, if there are any errors, I apologize, I'll go back and fix them later. I hope you enjoy the chapter and tell me what you think. :)

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Dealing with the Family**

* * *

 _Patience had never been one of Emma's strongest virtues, neither controlling her emotions. Which probably when she felt_ _the back of her head being whacked with a volleyball again,_ _Emma stood up and turned around quickly, looking for the culprit._

 _"Oh, that's it, you fucking assholes. I'm going to kill you," she threatened them, glaring_ _at the group of guys that were a few feet away._

 _"My bad," a guy called out a few feet away, not looking sorry at all. "Can you pass us the ball?"_

 _Emma exhaled shakily and had to count to ten before she threw the ball back to them. They had the audacity to give her a peace sign when they thanked her. She turned around, and plopped down on the sand, kicking the sand in frustration. She should go over there and strangle them, so they won't hit her again._

 _The stoner next to her must have been a telepath because he leaned over and nudged her with his feet, making her turn to look at him warily._

 _"Relax," said the stoner and passed her a beer that she accepted. "Forget about them and relax. You're so tense."_

 _"You are," agreed the girl next to him. "Relax."_

 _It was probably a terrible idea for Emma to go to a beach bonfire party when the upcoming full moon was in a few days. But, it was Emma's last semester before she would go to law school and she had finished her paper the previous night, giving her a good excuse to go out and let loose._

 _Emma could already feel the effect of the moon. Her entire body was tense, ready to pounce. When she got to the beach, Emma almost ripped the head of a guy that bumped into her. To prevent any accidents, Emma tried to avoid the huge crowds and decided to hang out with the stoners. They were calmer and less likely to cause her to go on a genocide._

 _Despite the upcoming full moon, it was a good night. The air was fresh, she could taste the salty water in the air. If there was one thing Emma loved, it was being on the beach at night, especially when there were bonfires. She laughed at the crappy jokes the stones would tell her and drink from her red cup. There was music a few feet away, letting her relax in her spot._

 _In the middle of an anecdote a girl was telling her, Emma phone lit up, telling her that someone was calling her. Excusing herself, she stood up, losing her footing in the sand. She walked away from the group and checked who was calling her at eleven at night._

 _Mason._

 _She frowned, the name not ringing a bell. But after few seconds of racking her brain, it clicked. Mason is her uncle. Uncle Mason. The uncle who she hadn't seen before she left for winter break. If she had been sober, she would have ignored it, but she wasn't._

 _"Hello?" she answered, the sober part of her prayed that she didn't sound drunk. She knew her uncle and father weren't the best of friends, but she didn't want to risk it and get an angry phone call from her father at three in the morning about making terrible life choices. She already got enough of those from her mom during the day._

 _"Emma, what's going on?" Mason cheerfully greeted her._

 _"Fine, good, yeah, nothing exciting, very good," Emma babbled, trying to sound nonchalant. She got up clumsily and walked a few feet away from the bonfire to have some privacy._

 _"I bet, you sound bored," he said. "And not drunk at all."_

 _Emma winced, realizing he could tell that she was drunk, even through the phone. She must have been drinking more than she initially thought. "_ _Drunk? Me? Fuck no_ _," she said defensively. "What's going on?"_

 _"Anyways, the reason I called you was because I'm at the beach, and I swear I think I can see you, but I don't want to approach that person in case I'm wrong."_

 _"Oh?" Emma straightened up and looked around, trying to find Mason through the cluster of people around the beach._

 _"Are you looking for me?"_

 _"Yeah, I am," she said and hesitantly raised her hand up, waving it around._

 _"You're waving your arm, aren't you?" Mason asked, and not waiting for an answer he hung up._

 _"Weird," she muttered and quickly disposed of the rest of her beer. Emma sniffed herself and realized that Mason would find out that she had been drinking either way. She smelled like a fraternity house. Emma made her way back, taking a seat on the log that was farthest from the group._

 _"Emma," Mason called out her name from behind, and jumped over the log and took a seat next to her. He gave her a wide smile, seemingly happy to see his niece. She had no idea what he was doing at the bonfire._

 _"Mas—uh, uncle Mason."_

 _"Don't worry, Mason is fine. It's always been weird to be called Uncle Mason," her uncle said, looking as awkward as she felt._

 _"Probably because you haven't been around me and Tyler longer than a day for the past ten years," Emma said without thinking, and maybe it was the coming full moon, but she didn't regret saying it. Especially when Mason had the decency to look guilty._

 _"Yeah... deserved that one, didn't I?"_

 _"Made your own hole." Emma shrugged and drank from her cup._

 _"You're right. I know I haven't been around a lot, and that's my fault," Mason admitted. That instantly made the sober part of Emma suspicious at how friendly he was being. Mason wasn't an asshole, but he wasn't the super friendly type either._

 _"Okay, but not to be rude, but why did you call me?"_

 _"I wasn't sure if you were with someone."_

 _Emma glanced at the people around her. She was sitting alone, few feet away from the group._

 _"Also, I kind of didn't want you to be embarrassed in front of your friends if you pretended not to know me," Mason joke. making Emma roll her eyes, but not in annoyance. "So, what made you come today to the bonfire?"_

 _Emma glanced at him warily, not sure what to say to him. Their conversations never went for from "How are you?" and "Call your dad so he knows that I came by," and "See you later."_

 _Mason nudge her, and she reluctantly answered, giving him the excuse that she had been telling everybody: "Just wanted to take a break from school work."_

 _"Sure," Mason said, nodding. "I used to take a break from school work every passing period."  
_

 _"Shit, no wonder my dad is always calling me," snorted Emma. "He probably thinks I'm going to end up like you." She paused and frowned. "Shit, that sounded bad."_

 _Mason shrugged. "Eh. Not the worst I've heard."_

 _For two people that rarely spoke, they had no problem keeping the conversation going. Emma was pleasantly surprised that she enjoyed talking to her uncle. She didn't know a lot about Mason but could see that he was a laid-back guy. He was the complete opposite of Emma's father._

 _She hadn't realized how charming her uncle was. He was nothing like her father. Richard Lockwood was much more reserved and didn't waste his breath on people that didn't mean much to him._

 _"Ever gone surfing?" Mason asked._

 _"Yeah, a few times. But I'm not very good." She tried to block the painful memories of her belly flopping and desperately trying to get out of the water. She had gotten scratches on her arms at the end of the day._

 _"Well, it's your lucky day. You happen to have an uncle that lives practically live in the water."_

 _"Seriously? You want to teach me how to surf? Thanks for the offer, but I'm going to save you the pain. I suck like you have no idea. And that is coming from someone who prides themselves on being an athlete and refusing to admit that they're terrible at something."_

 _"Come on," Mason said, not believing her. "Didn't you win a scholarship to pay your entire college tuition?"_

 _"Yeah, for_ track _. Not surfing. I've tried to learn, but I don't have the patience. I get pissed off whenever I fall off the board, which is all the time and then storm off."_

 _"I refuse to believe that. You are a natural athlete, you probably can do anything."_

 _"The only thing I'm natural is getting pissed about how shitty at surfing. I know you're trying to be nice, but I'm not going to bother. I'll stick to what I'm best at."_

 _Surprisingly, Mason laughed and shook his head. "Of course you are."  
_

 _"What the hell does that mean?" she snapped, defensively, her grip on her empty cup tightening. He better not be making fun of her. She tensed when she realized how angry she got in less than a second._ Emma exhale, _she reminded herself and counted to five. Her grip lessened but it didn't matter. The cup had been punctured by her nails._

 _"Nothing," Mason said, thankfully seemingly oblivious to her sudden shift in behavior. "It's just I haven't realized how much you and I are similar. But obviously, we're related."_

 _Emma didn't find that funny. She found it concerning that they were too similar. After all, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree._

 _"I don't think we're too similar," Emma started but got caught off by a loud, and unfortunately familiar, voice._

 _"_ Emma _."_

 _She stiffened hearing her name. Getting caught up talking to her uncle, she had forgotten that Brady said he might be coming over._

 _"Someone is calling your name, I think," Mason told her, looked over his shoulder, hearing the voice._

 _"There's a lot of Emma's," she said hastily. "Emma is a very common name."_

 _"Lockwood! I see you!" Brady shouted, his voice coming closer. Mason raised his eyebrow, making Emma sigh. She turned around and saw Brady walking over to them. She looked back at Mason and gave him an apologetic look._

 _"Do you want me to beat him up?" he offered, thinking that he was just a random guy harassing her._

 _"No," Emma said sullenly. "It's only going bite me in the ass." Literally._

 _"You sure? Don't seem too happy about him."_

 _"No, unfortunately, he's my friend," she admitted. "He's my very annoying friend that I am going to apologize about."_

 _"Lockwood," called out Brady again and Emma turned around, giving him a warning look._

 _"I heard you, Brady."_

 _"Why haven't you texted me back? I've called you and texted you," he said, sounding annoyed as he came over to her and Mason._

 _"I was busy," she said shortly._

 _"Busy? When did you become Miss Popularity?" Brady paused when he noticed that Emma was not alone. "Who's this?" he frowned._

 _"Mason," her uncle introduced himself and extended his hand. Brady took it and glanced at Emma and Mason._

 _"Brady. So, are you and Emma…?"_

 _"Jesus fuck, Brady," Emma interrupted him, not wanting him to finish his sentence. "He's my_ uncle _. I've mentioned him before."_

 _Brady looked doubtful. "I don't remember."_

 _"Dude," Emma groaned. Now she really wished she had stayed in her apartment. She would have avoided this entire conversation and embarrassment. "He's Mason, my uncle, he checks up on me all the time. I've told you."_

 _"Oh, right, uncle. I think I remember. Tell me again, from mom's side or dads?" Brady asked, unable to hide his curiosity. Emma shot him a look. Could he be any more obvious?_

 _"Dads," Mason grinned at him._

 _Brady glanced at Emma briefly, his eyes narrowed before he looked at Mason and nodded. "So, you're a Lockwood, huh? I'm guessing you're like Emma then?"_

 _There was a slight paused, and she wasn't sure if it was of her paranoia, but Emma swore she heard Masons' heart skip a beat. But then the paused was over and Mason shook his head, laughing._

 _"No, I'm not a lawyer. Just a surfer."_

 _Brady grinned at him. "Even better. Lawyers suck the fun out of everything," Brady said, and give Emma another pointed look. She was sure he wasn't making a point about her career choice._

 _"Keep it up, asshole," Emma said tersely. "Next time another body drops, call someone else to bail you out."_

 _Brady scowled at her, but Mason laughed. "Another?" he asked. "Is that how you guys met? He needed a lawyer to hide a dead guy?"_

 _Brady gave him a feral grin. "Something like that."_

 _"Hmm, I don't know how I feel about my niece spending time with someone dangerous."  
_

 _Mason words could have been taken as a joke, but it seemed that Brady didn't seem to take them that way._

 _"And what makes you think that I'm dangerous?" said Bray in an eerily calm voice._

 _Emma decided to intervene, not liking how both males were seizing each other up. "I would like to input that I'm not a lawyer. Only a pre-law student."_

 _"Whatever," Brady dismissed. "No one cares about the technicalities."_

 _"I think the state would disagree," Emma disagreed, frowning. Mason laughed loudly, getting the attention of the other two._

 _Whatever tension had been there between the two men disappeared. It was strange to see how easily Brady and Mason got along. Their conversation flowed between the two men without any awkward pauses and kept grinning at each other. It was almost like they've known each other. Emma not once had considered introducing her uncle to her pack. She never found a reason, Mason wasn't close to her and a part of her forgot that he had the werewolf gene._

 _But having Mason talking to Brady, gave Emma, even more, a reason to keep Mason away from her pack. He fit in with them too well. Fidgeting nervously, she took a long chug of her beer, hoping to ease her nerves. It wasn't as if Mason was going to insult Brady and lead to a fight._

 _"So, what about you guys? Are you guys...?" Mason motioned between the two of them. Emma was too busy being exasperated to realize what he was implying, but Brady wasn't and shook his head._

 _"No, she's more like a sister."_

 _"Yeah, we're not that close," Emma rolled her eyes. "And no, he has a girlfriend. Which is not me."_

 _Brady smiled and turned his attention back to Mason. "So, how come I've never met you before? I've known Emma for a really long time, and not once have you made an appearance."_

 _"Yeah, that's on me. I'm kind of a loner."_

 _"Ah, a lone wolf," Brady said knowingly._

 _"Um, yeah," said Mason, looking slightly uncomfortable. "But I'm trying to change that. And what better way to start spending time with family than with my niece that lives in the same city as I do."_

 _"How convenient," said Brady._

 _"Brady," cut in Emma, "What the hell do you want? I'm trying to have a conversation with Mason."_

 _"The p—rest is down the pier. I drew the short straw to come and pick you up. Mason can come along. If he's your uncle, then he's one of us for sure."_

 _Mason shook his head. "Thanks for the invite but I'm not alone. I'm with this girl."_

 _Brady nodded in understanding, while Emma hoped that Mason would just leave._

 _"But seriously, man. You should hang out with us. I know it's not cool to hang out with your younger niece, but we're not boring at all. You should think about it."_

 _Mason nodded. "No, I'll definitely take you up on your offer. I can't today cause I'm with someone but the next time, you can count on me."_

 _"Great. We're here pretty much every week. Especially around the full moon."_

 _Emma could have strangled Brady. What the hell was he doing? He wasn't usually that obvious. Didn't he get the part where Mason wasn't aware of their furry problem? But Mason remained oblivious. He stood up from the log and gave Emma and Brady a nod._

 _"I'll call you later, Emma," he said, touching her shoulder lightly and then started walking away._ _Brady waited until Mason was out of human earshot, to turn to her, but Emma beat him._

 _"What the hell was that about?"_

 _"I thought you two weren't close?" accused Brady._

 _"We're not,"_ _bristled_ _Emma._

 _"Well, shit." Brady shook his head in disbelief. "He knows."_

 _It took a second for Emma to realize what Brady was talking about. She looked at him in annoyance. "No, he doesn't. Stop being paranoid"_

 _"Yes, yes he does. Didn't you hear his heartbeat when I asked him if he was like you? I doubt the idea of being a lawyer could scare the crap of someone."_

 _"Shut up, Brady."_

 _"How did he find you, Emma? It's a little too strange that you ran into him, tonight out of all nights. This is a big city, why did he end up here out of everywhere?"_

 _Emma faltered. She thought it was in her head, but if Brady had heard it then she hadn't imagined it._

 _"You told me he's never bothered talking to you, only would visit you whenever you were about to leave to visit your parents. Why is he suddenly making plans to hang out with you? And it's not because I'm super charming."_

 _"Just shut up, Brady," Emma muttered. Why did Mason have to come and talk to her? Why did the pack always have to worry about her? Why did she have to go out? Just why?_

 _"Look, Emma," Brady said seriously, and when Emma refused to look at him, he poked her shoulder. She begrudgingly looked at him. "It's not a bad thing that he knows. It's a good thing, actually. If he's aware then we won't have to worry about cleaning his mess and if he ever needs help, he can go to us, or just you."_

 _Emma frowned. "I'm sorry, but us? You mean just you and me, right?"_

 _"Come on, Emmy. You don't expect me not to tell Jules. She needs to know. And it's not because she's my girlfriend. You wouldn't like it if someone kept a secret like this? We're a pack, we tell each other everything."_

 _"Why are we talking about this? This entire conversation is just about something that probably isn't true."_

 _"Emma," Brady said, almost sounding disappointed in her which she hated. "This isn't just your problem. It's mine, and Jules and everybody else. Mason seeking you out isn't random, come on, you're smart. I could smell it off him. He was hiding something. And my guess, that's he's seconds away from turning into a werewolf."_

 _Emma didn't answer Brady, she just stared at the waves crashing against the sand. She had always had that lingering fear. That she wasn't the only in her family that had problems every full moon. When she first turned, it was horrible. She's never experience something like that._

 _"He's not a werewolf," Emma said stubbornly._

 _Brady sighed, knowing that there was no way he was going to change Emma's mind. Once she was set to something, there was no going back, he had come to discover the past few years of knowing her._

 _"Come on," he said, pushing Emma towards the pier. "Let's go. The pack is waiting for us."_

 _Emma let herself be pushed, still in denial. There was no way Mason was a werewolf. Just because she was one didn't mean he could be one too. But she would soon discover in a few months, in a phone call that she received at midnight by a frantic Mason, that Brady had been right._

 _Mason was one of them and his problem would soon become theirs. Especially Emma's._

* * *

Emma regretted coming home a few days before she was supposed to. The moment she got home, her mother had insisted on going shopping and getting her a new dress for the Founders Party because the ones that Emma owned were not appropriate. Which was ridiculous, seeing that half of her fancy dresses, her mother had picked them out herself.

But Emma kept her mouth shut and let Carol take her shopping. Despite her overbearingness and at times controlling attitude, Emma missed her. She was her mom. She had been there for her when she was going through her rebellious stage.

"At least I don't look like a creepy woman toddler," Emma muttered to herself, as she surveyed herself in front of the mirror. Adjusting the dress and satisfied how her cleavage looked, Emma stepped out of the dressing room. She didn't have a chance to model the dress because Carol Lockwood voiced her opinion immediately.

"Absolutely not."

"What? Why not? I look good."

"You look like a hooker, sweetie. And there's nothing good about that."

"Are you f—?"

"Emma," Carol warned. "Watch your mouth."

She looked at the ceiling and counted to ten rather quickly in her head before she looked back at her mom, plastering a forced smile. "Fine, are you freaking joking?" she gritted.

"No, I'm not. It's not an appropriate dress."

"Mom, you do realize that this store has about four other dresses left that I haven't tried on?"

"Then let's hope the others look better on you," Carols said and handed her a new dress.

Emma didn't want to seem whiny, but she was exhausted and really hated shopping with her mom. Carol always hated whatever Emma picked because it was either too slutty or too lumberjack. She heard a buzzing noise and whipped her head back to the dresser where her phone was. She didn't a good job being subtle because her mom called her attention.

"Emma, why do you keep glancing at your phone? Are you waiting for a phone call?"

"Nothing important," she muttered.

"Boyfriend?" Carol asked casually, hoping to fish for details.

"I don't have time for boyfriends," Emma told her.

"Really? What happened to that guy? Brandon?"

Emma stared at her in confusion. Who the hell was she talking about? She didn't know a Brandon. Her eyes widened when she realized who her mom was referring to. "I'm sorry, but who mentioned you a guy?" she asked, not bothering to correct her on Brady's name.

"Didn't you mention him to me?"

"Uh, no," Emma said, shaking her head, "because I don't have a boyfriend. I mention boys if they have been my boyfriend for more than four months, which I have not had one since I was nineteen. I have never hidden my boyfriends before, and I won't now."

Carol looked a little guilty.

"Oh, my God," Emma said in disbelief, connecting the dots. "I can't believe it; do you have someone spying on me? Who? It's not Tyler because he wouldn't have agreed to it." Emma stopped remembering the one person who could have been. "Great, now you have Mason as your pet."

"Emma," Carol chastised.

"Seriously, Mom? I'm not five."

"I know, but you never tell me everything."

"Of course, I don't tell you everything," she practically yelled, catching the attention of the few people in the store. She took a deep breath and lowered her voice. "Some things, are just for me. And other things, I am more than happy to share with you, but I guess you can't even let me do that."

"Emma, I'm sorry. I don't have Mason spy on you. I just call him at times when you don't contact us for a long time."

"That's the same thing."

"Emma, you need to understand me, you are a young woman living alone, in another state. We can't protect you from here, and I feel at times you don't tell me everything, so I don't worry. Which only makes me worry more."

Emma was still not convinced but decided it was not worth getting into a fight with her mom on her first day back.

"By the way, Brady, and yes that's his name, not Brandon, is my friend. Has been my friend since I moved to Florida. I bet Mason conveniently omitted that part and that he has a girlfriend that is also my friend?"

"Well, I'm sorry. Now go and change," Carol ordered her daughter. Emma huffed and turned around, going back inside to the dresser. She wished it had a door, so she could slam it, to emphasize how annoyed she was. That was the sixth dress Carol had vetoed. At this rate, Emma was going to go nude.

When Emma entered the dressing room, she noticed that her phone had been ringing. She raised the shirt that had been muffling the ringing and saw that it was Mason calling her, making her roll her eyes. What did he want now?

She had briefly spoken to Mason earlier in the morning right when she arrived at Mystic Falls. He had wanted to if everything was going fine, which exasperated Emma. Did Mason honestly think she was going to be murdered at the airport by a vampire? She had dismissed his worry and warned him to not break any of her furniture when moving it to storage or she would break his pretty face. Not waiting for his indignant reply, she hung up on him because she had spotted her mom.

She rubbed her face in frustration, in no mood to deal with her uncle. She had a good idea what he wanted. After her phone stopped ringing, she picked it up and saw that Mason wasn't the only one who wanted to talk to her. She had one text message from Jules (probably wanting to know how her flight went), two from Mason. She frowned when she saw a missed call from her father.

"Hey, Mom," she called out.

"What is it? Did the dress not fit? Is it too small?"

"What? No, no, it's not the dress. Dad called me about two hours ago. Why'd he call me?"

"Did he? Oh." Carol suddenly became quiet, which made Emma poke her head from the dressing room.

"Everything all right?"

"He probably wanted to know if you got picked up."

Emma furrowed her brows, picking up the change of heartbeat of her mom. "What's going on? Are you and Dad divorcing?"

"What?" Carol snapped, scandalized at the thought of divorce. "Of course not, where did you get that ridiculous thought?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen Dad yet, and the first thing you wanted to do was go out and shop. Sounds like a midlife crisis."

"Emma, nothing is happening," Carol dismissed her question and shooed her back into the dressing room. "He probably called to check in. Stop overacting. Try the dress. We need to pick one right now."

Emma pursed her lips but obeyed her mother. She wasn't an idiot. Her parents were up to something and unfortunately involved her. She wondered if it had to do with her involvement with her father's job. The last time they spoke, he had been vague about what he wanted her to do, even when she continued pestering him.

"Pick the blue one," Carol called from outside.

"I don't like this blue," Emma mumbled.

"What was that?"

"This looks like a dress I wore last Christmas."

That made Carol paused for a long moment. "Are you sure?"

"Positive, Mom. I think there was even a photo of us in the paper that day for the charity event," Emma lied and hoped that her mom would not look for the newspaper.

"Then pick the green one. It'll complement your hair."

"My hair is brown. I'll look like a tree."

"A _pretty_ tree," Carol said, and Emma could feel her smile making her scowl. Out of all the times Emma's mom could have chosen to make a joke, she had to pick that moment.

"Not funny," Emma said flatly. She wrinkled her nose when she picked up the dress. It wasn't ugly. She would have worn it when she was twelve and was forced go to Sunday mass with her grandparents because she punched Halley Emerson in the face. "But if you say so."

She got out of the dressing room and waited to be criticised. Unsurprisingly, Carol found something wrong with it. It was _too_ green.

"Your hair is lighter," Carol commented when she was looking Emma over. "Did you dye it?"

"No, just too much sun. You don't like it?"

Carol shook her head, picking a lock of Emma's hair. "No, I like it. You remind me of me when I was your age."

"Alcoholic and college drop out with a kid on the way?" Emma grinned at her.

"Do not let your father hear you say that Emma," Carol warned her, not amused at her twister sense of humor. "It's not funny."

Emma shrugged, her lips still turned upwards. "It is for me."

"Is this a Floridian thing? Or did you get it from Mason?"

 _In order for me to start acting like Mason I have to spend time with him,_ Emma thought but shrugged again. "I think it's a Lockwood thing."

"Lockwood's," Carol muttered and glanced around the dressing room. She picked up a cream-colored dress with sleeves up to elbows and handed it to Emma.

"I thought we agreed on the green one," Emma argued, but felt the soft material of the dress, finding it elegant.

"That's one of the dresses that we will consider. We need options. We can't pick the first one that fits us. Go on, try it on."

Emma sighed and nodded. "Whatever you say, Mom. I don't even like cream color."

"You used to like those dresses but I guess I don't know that anymore because I barely see you."

"I visit you guys," Emma said.

"Not as often as you used to," Carol scolded. "You used to come home every break and now you only come when I basically threaten you and sometimes that doesn't even work."

Emma pressed her lips into a thin line. Her mother was right. The longest she would stay would be a week, and only when there were important holidays. Emma preferred it when her parents would come and visit her which was not often because of his father job wouldn't allow him.

She would blame school work and her job didn't allow her, and all of that was partially true. But the bigger reason was that ever since Emma had found her pack, she felt uncomfortable being apart from them more than a week. She felt like if she wasn't with them, something bad would happen. Nothing ever happened when Emma would go to visit her family, but she didn't want to risk it. She would never be able to live with herself if she harmed her family because of her recklessness.

But Carol acted like she hadn't seen Emma in years when it only had been the entire summer. She did that every time she saw Emma. Hug her until Emma's lungs started burning and look her over, claiming she wanted to know if she had gained any weight or too tan. It was her subtle way of looking for a tattoo or needle marks or a baby bump.

"Now I get to see you every day and you didn't even have to threaten me," Emma said lightly. "You're going to get sick of me in two weeks, I promise you, you'll be counting the days when I leave."

"Despite what you believe," Carol smiled tightly at her daughter and tucked a loose strand behind Emma's ear, "I actually am glad that you're going to be staying with us for a while."

"Really?" Emma asked, a little hope brewing inside of her.

"Yes, you're my daughter. I know we see each as frequent as we can, but I always love when you come to visit us here, in Mystic Falls. And always get sad when you have to go back to Florida, you're home." There was a sadness in her tone at her last words.

"Oh," Emma said, at loss of words. She knew that her mom would get upset every time she would leave, but she had never expressed it aloud. "Uh, but this is my home too."

"Yes, but you haven't lived here for a long time, not since you were sixteen. So, you can imagine my emotions at the thought of my almost twenty-one-year-old daughter coming back to live with us after so many years. I felt like I still I had a chance to be a mom to you."

Emma felt strange hearing her mom say all those things. They weren't complete strangers, but Carol had always kept to herself her emotions. She never let her children know how she felt. So, hearing her mom talk about Emma like that made her feel sad. It had to take Emma to be absent from the house for Carol to let her know how she really felt.

But then Carol shook her head, getting a grip on herself. "But, it doesn't matter. You're here, coming to live in our house, and just because you're an adult, the rules still apply just like it did when you were sixteen."

Emma tried not to groan. Not only would she act like she had been away for years, Carol would lecture Emma on her behavior and that she shouldn't do anything stupid. Only one time Emma made a scene at a party when she had been seventeen. She had been sneaking sips of champagne during the party and at the end of the night, she was drunk. Emma didn't remember all the details of the night, but Tyler had been helpful to remind her of the argument she started with her father. She distinctly remembered breaking something and getting slapped.

"Emma, behave. Please do not do anything that can embarrass your dad. Remember, he's the mayor."

"Seriously? I did not know," Emma said seriously.

Carol smacked her hand lightly. "Emma, I mean it."

"I know, I know," Emma said, raising her hands, surrendering. "I'm sorry. I'm not going to get blackout drunk or go streaking or get pregnant. I promise that I will do all those things when I go back to Florida."

Carol glared at her daughter. "Please stop doing that. Why are you like this?"

"That's just, you know, how Lockwood's work. The Lockwood style as I've heard time to time."

Carol sighed and went to adjust the shoulder strap of Emma's dress. "It's concerning how much you're like your father."

"Trust me, Mom," Emma said, smiling tightly at her. "I doubt my father and I are the same. But I promise I will not do anything that will embarrass you."

"Okay," Carol agreed reluctantly and then turned her attention to another dress that was on the rack. "Here, try this one. I think this one will fit you better."

Emma had to resist the urge to groan, but sucked it in and went back to the stupid dressing room to try on the stupid dress. Her eyes went to her phone, unable to resist.

"Shit," she hissed when she picked it up. She had a missed phone from the one person that she had been hoping would call her. It showed that they had barely called her a few minutes ago, probably when she had been out of the dressing room, speaking to her mom. Emma bit her thumb, her finger hovering over the number. She obviously couldn't talk to them with her mom right next to her, so she settled with a text.

 _Hey, sorry for not answering._ _Right now, I cant talk. Busy. Can you call me in the afternoon? 6?_

Nodding to herself, she put her phone on silence and slipped it into her back jeans pocket.

"Emma..."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," she yelled back, and she put on the newest dress. She made a face and prepared herself for her mom to find another fault in a nice dress. "Let's do this," she muttered to herself.

This was not the way she had planned to spend her first day back at Mystic Falls.


	3. A Lockwood Reunion

**Author's Note:** Hi! I am so glad that you guys are enjoying the story. Also, I am pleased with myself that it didn't take me an entire year to finish this chapter.

If you reviewed and I didn't respond, I'm so sorry! I typically respond back but these past few months have been heavy and I haven't checked my notifications. I promise I will do better in this chapter! Thank you to those who reviewed, followed and favorite.

I hope you enjoy and tell me what you think!

* * *

 **Chapter Three: A Lockwood Reunion**

* * *

After three more agonizing hours in the store, Emma found a dress that her mother approved. She wasn't thrilled with the choice—a surprisingly simple red dress that went down to her knee and covered her shoulders—but at least she finally found a dress. Paying for the dress, Carol dropped off Emma at the house and headed off to do some errands.

Finally being alone, gave Emma time to call the last person that called her.

 _"Emma,"_ Rosie, her witch acquaintance, answered on the third ring. It was evident in her tone that she was not happy.

"Okay, I don't have a lot of time, but what's wrong?" That was a blatant lie but Rosie didn't need to know that.

 _"I figured. Mystic Falls is a very... chaotic place. I have a really bad feeling about that place."_

Emma tugged on a loose strand of her hair, a telling sign that she was anxious. "Yeah, you keep telling me."

 _"Well, I don't want to waste your precious time, but Mason came by yesterday with his girlfriend."_ Rosie's displeasure was evident in her voice.

"What?" she snapped, straightening up. She had never told Mason about Rosie, and for a good reason. "What did they want?"

 _"What do you think? The stupid moonstone. For some reason, the girlfriend is adamant that I know where it is, or I can find it."_

"Fucking Carrie," Emma muttered angrily.

 _"Can you tell Mason to leave me alone. You know how I feel about werewolves and vampires."_

Emma would have been offended, but she didn't really care what Rosie was saying at the moment, she was too busy seething. How the fuck did Mason find out about her witch friend?

 _"Emma,"_ Rosie grunted. _"Get rid of her. I can't have vampires swarming around me. Werewolves, I can handle for a while, but vampires need to fuck off."_

Emma pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled deeply. "Don't worry about it. I'll handle it."

 _"You better."_

"I told you I'll handle it," Emma snapped.

 _"Well, what do you want me to do in the meantime?"_

"You do your thing and ignore them. Mason is all bark and no bite. You have nothing to worry about."

 _"I'm not worried about him. It's his girlfriend that has me on edge,"_ Rosie told her. Emma nodded silently in agreement. Kathy was one of the biggest bitches she had met in her life and that was saying something from someone who's entire life she has been labeled as a bitch.

"Just carry holy water and throw it at her whenever she gets close."

 _"I don't think that will work,"_ Rosie said dryly and then let out an exasperated sigh. _"This is a really bad idea. I knew I shouldn't have gotten involved with this moonstone crap…"_

"You're not going back out right now?"

Rosie was quiet for a second too long to make Emma's anger spike.

"Listen to me, Rosie," Emma warned in an eerily calm voice. "I have been nothing but patient with you, and knowing me, that's something you shouldn't take lightly. If you back out, I promise you, you're going to wish that vampire was your only problem."

Rosie let out a nervous laugh. _"Jesus, Emma, is it that time of your month already?"_

 _She did not just say that_ , Emma thought in annoyance. Humans were so stupid Emma had been quick to find out.

"You better be careful with what you say," Emma warned and smirked when she heard Rosie take a sharp breath. Without a goodbye, she hung up on Rosie and groaned loudly.

She hated witches so much at times. They thought they were all high and mighty just because they could make a brew. If Emma wanted, she could snap Rosie's neck in a second.

"Ah, fuck," Emma said to the empty room. The conversation had left strung up and that was never a good thing. She needed to occupy her mind.

Glancing around, Emma decided to start organizing her clothes. She might be staying with her parents for a few months, but she wanted to feel comfortable in her room. She was staying in her old bedroom, but it was bare. There were only furniture and a few old posters that had lost their color. When she stayed during vacations, Emma never bothered to decorate it. She only went to her room when she wanted to go to sleep.

Without any trouble, she carried her two suitcases to her room and started organizing her clothes. The process went quickly and in less than three hours, she was finished. She still had a few boxes downstairs but she had grown tired of organizing. She went downstairs and ploped herself on one of the living room couches. Glancing at her phone, she saw that it was still early.

Emma felt like she was about to suffocate. She always forgot how much she hated being locked inside her parent's house. It was too big, too old. She felt like she was stuck in a depressing time and any moment a ghost would pop out. As a child, she would tell Tyler that the house was haunted and that if he ever entered the second floor, the ghosts would drag him to their basement. That made Tyler refuse to go to his room for almost a month which lead to Emma being grounded for two months. She hadn't cared, it had been worth it.

"Goddammit," she said and pushed herself off from the couch and went upstairs to grab her jacket. With too much time on her hands and no one home, Emma took the opportunity to walk around the town and familiarize herself again. When she would come to Mystic Falls during her breaks, she never really bothered going to the town square. She was too exhausted from the plane ride, had homework to do and also found it pathetic to be walking around alone.

But now, Emma needed to remember where everything was and try to become more acquainted with the people from Mystic Falls. She made her way into the town square, hoping to get rid of the pent-up energy that was pulsing through her. She walked at a brisk pace, glancing behind her shoulder every minute. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but she told herself that she was tense because she was on her own for the first time.

There wasn't anything too new in the town, nothing really ever changed there, Emma realized with displeasure. She checked her phone and saw that it was five in the afternoon. She was about to head home when she smelled something off, making her freeze. She had never smelled it before, but something about the scent was too familiar. She sniffed the air and whipped her head towards to the right.

She turned to face where the smell came from and started walking towards it slowly. She knew she must look strange if anyone noticed her. Her brows were furrowed and her entire stance was tense but something wasn't right about that scent. She stopped when she saw the Grill in the distance. It seemed to be coming from there, she was certain.

Emma had just gotten inside the Grill when she heard loud shouting. She was going to continue when another scent hit her nose and that one she recognized clearly. She grinned and started heading to the teenage boys that were in the middle of a heated argument.

"—what the hell is wrong with you, man?" the boy yelled.

"You're overreacting," Tyler said angrily and was about to shove the other boy when Emma intervened, grabbing Tyler roughly in the shoulder.

"Yeah, you don't really want to do that, tough guy."

"Who the f—?" Tyler turned around and his eyes widened in shock at seeing his older sister. "Em-Emma?"

"Shit, Emma," the other boy said. She glanced to the other guy and was surprised to see that it was Matt Donovan, her brothers best friend.

"Yeah, hi," she said distractedly. "Come on, let's go."

She didn't wait for her brother to say another word and just grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him out of the Grill. She didn't miss the look of confusion cross a few people from the restaurant. Once outside, Emma let go of Tyler and he turned to look at her in disbelief.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was going to eat, but looks like I'm just going to have to drag your ass back to your house."

Tyler continued staring at her. "No, I mean, here in Mystic Falls. I thought you weren't going to be here until Friday afternoon."

"No, I said I would be here on Tuesday."

"Oh," he said and nodded slowly. "Well, I'm glad that you're here."

"Yeah, you should be. You were five seconds away from decking Matts face."

Tyler scowled at the reminder.

"And something tells me that you're not in the mood to talk about it," she said lightly and glanced around the packed parking lot. "Why the hell is this place full?"

"Are you hungry?" Tyler changed the subject and glanced over his shoulder. "Come on, let's get some food. I'm starving too."

"Are you sure you're allowed back in? Doesn't fighting to get you kicked out?" When she saw his expression, she smiled at him. "Alright, alright. Come on, let's go eat," Emma said and pushed him forward.

* * *

The moment Emma stepped into the Grill, she was hit by the overwhelming noise of everything. She had no idea how she had missed it the first time.

Pots clanging, the sizzling sound of meat touching the hot stove, racing heartbeats, glasses clinking. She could hear parts of conversation as she made her way to the bar. Teenagers groaning about going back to school, adults talking about their jobs, waitresses griping about the shitty tips they're getting.

It didn't matter what state she lived, it seemed that the people didn't change. Everybody complained, drank, laughed, breathed. It comforted Emma at times knowing that just because one thing changed didn't mean the rest didn't have to. She didn't mind the noise, it was the smell that always gave her a headache. It was harder to block the strong smell of cologne than the loud laughter.

Emma glanced around the restaurant, noting how packed it was on a Wednesday. The Grill was a popular hang out for the residents of Mystic Falls, which said a lot about the town. When she was younger, Emma spent most of her free time on the Grill and even got a job as a waitress a year before she moved to Florida.

"Damn, sucks that you're not twenty-one yet," Tyler was saying as they weaved themselves through the people. "You could have bought us some shots to celebrate."

"I could get us some. I'm pretty enough to get free drinks."

"Is that what you do back in Florida? Are you sure you didn't flash people for free drinks?"

"No, I've never done that," she said briskly. Tyler snickered and shoved her lightly towards an empty booth that was near the bar. When they sat down, Emma got a good look at Tyler. Her brother looked older, Emma noticed. She hadn't seen him the entire summer and somehow, he had grown so much. He did not look like he was seventeen.

"Are you on steroids?" she found herself asking. "You're too... too big."

"Nope, this all me," he said smugly.

"I'm impressed and also a little terrified. You know there's a lot of school spirit," Emma said, noticing students wearing the school colors and some even the school logo. "I didn't know that going back to school caused people to get really excited. Not even my school gets that excited."

"There's a game tomorrow night," Tyler explained.

"Ah," Emma said, nodding in understanding.

"Mom and Dad can't come," Tyler said, not sounding bothered. They never attended their children's game unless it was the final. "But, you're here. So you're coming, right?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Obviously, I'll go. Even if you're benchwarmer I'll go."

Tyler scowled at her and threw her napkin, hitting her square in the face. "I've never been a benchwarmer, unlike you."

"Excuse you, but the only reason I wasn't on the court was that I got in trouble for breaking the nose of one of the teammates."

Tyler smirked, shaking his head. He was about to say something when they got interrupted.

"Hey," a girl wearing a waitress outfit said, walking up to them. Emma wrinkled her nose when she got a whiff of weed that clung to her clothes. Great, her food was going to taste like weed.

"Hi. Can I have ice tea?" Emma told her, assuming she was going to the one serving them for the night. The girl froze, seemingly thrown off by her request. Emma raised an eyebrow. "You do work here, right? You're not wearing that for a fashion statement?"

"Yeah, she works here," Tyler assured her. Emma didn't miss the look he shared with the girl.

"You look familiar," Emma said. Something about her face seemed familiar but she wasn't sure. "Did we go to high school together?"

"No, we didn't. When I was a freshman, you were already gone." The girl looked at Tyler and then her. "You don't know who I am?" she asked. "Tyler never said anything?"

Emma shook her head and glanced at Tyler, who was slumped down in his seat, avoiding contact.

"Vicky Donovan," she explained. Emma nodded, finally remembering her name.

"Ahh. Right, Matt's sister. That explains the familiarity. Well, Vicky Donovan," Emma said, giving her a look when she said her name, "can you get me an ice tea with very little ice? Thanks."

Vicky looked disgruntled at her casual demeanor, but Emma didn't care. She just wanted her ice tea. Vicky didn't bother taking Tyler's order and walked away, glancing over her shoulder.

"She's not a very good waitress," Emma commented.

"I'll be right back," Tyler muttered, sliding out of the booth.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked innocently, even though it was obvious where he was going.

"The restroom." He didn't wait for her response and darted off to the direction of the bar which was the opposite of the restroom. Emma tilted her head to be able to hear better. She had a had a feeling something interesting was about to happen.

 _"She didn't know who I was,"_ Vicky's voice floated over to her. She pounced as soon as Tyler walked up to him. " _Why doesn't she know about me?"_

 _"Come on, Vicky. She just got here. I haven't had a chance to talk to her."_

 _"You could have told her at that moment, you could have introduced me."_

 _"Well, you didn't give me a chance. You just walked away, you didn't let me order my drinks."_

Vicky scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. _"Oh, my God. Are you kidding me? Well, when you go back to her, tell her who I am to you."_

 _"Calm down, Vicky, I will."_

 _"Good. What are you going to tell her?"_

 _"What do you mean?_ _I'm going to tell her who you are."_

 _"She knows who I am,"_ Vicky said irritated. _"I told her. I mean, what am I to you? Friend? Girlfriend? Friends with benefits? What are you going to tell her."_

Emma tried to recall if Tyler had mentioned being with a girl or even smelling like perfume, but nothing came to mind. She probably was not looking closely. She had never cared about with who Tyler hooked up with. But the possibility of Tyler being with a crackhead made Emma want to say something.

 _"Unbelievable,"_ Vicky hissed loudly. _"She's acting all high and mighty as if she didn't do shit back in high school. I know what they used to say about your sister. That's she was a slut. Always getting drunk. That's why she was sent off to Florida because she was messing up your father's chance to be mayor."_

 _"Shut up,"_ Tyler said angrily. _"You don't know shit about my sister."_

 _"And she knows me?"_

 _"You can't talk about my sister like that, Vicky. I don't care what you heard. Don't ever talk about Emma like that."_

 _"And Emma can?"_

At that moment, Emma whipped her head when she smelled that scent that had caught her attention earlier. It was difficult to identify with how many different scents were in the restaurant. She drummed her hands on the table, her impatience getting the best of her. What the hell was that scent?

She stood up quickly form the booth and sniffed the air. She was positive that it was coming from the right. She was about to follow it when she bumped into a waitress and took a step back, bumping into someone.

"Shit, sorry.."

"What are you doing?" Tyler demanded, grabbing her shoulders.

"Nothing," she said, shaking him off and sat back down to the booth. Tyler did the same, wearing a disgruntled expression. "How was pissing?" Emma asked innocently.

"Shut up," he snapped and gripped the fork in front of him tightly.

"Jesus, what crawled up your ass?"

"Nothing."

Emma smirked and played with the pepper shaker, letting him brood before pouncing at him.

"So… how pissed off is she?"

"What?" He looked up, taken back by her question. "What are you talking about?"

"Valerie."

Tyler frowned for a moment before realizing who she was talking about. "Oh. It's Vicky," Tyler corrected her.

"Well, how pissed off is Vicky that you didn't introduce her as her girlfriend?"

Tyler tensed and stared at the salt shaker in front of him.

Emma sighed. "You're pathetic."

He groaned. "Seriously, Emma? How do you even know about me and her?"

"You're not very subtle."

"Shut up."

"You could so much better," Emma said. Tyler gave her a dirty look. "What? It's true. You're the son of a mayor, you're the star football player. She's the daughter of that woman who abandoned her family for booze, and from the way she reeked of weed, she's five seconds from becoming her. You do not want to be associated with that kind of person."

"What the fuck, Emma?" Tyler grunted. "You sound like our mother."

Emma winced at that jab but that didn't deter her. "Okay, so I sound like her but I know for sure that she's going to be ten times as worse than me. And that I sound like an asshole, but it's the truth. She's a junkie. Look at her. Why would you go out with someone like that? There's nothing good from her. I know you don't want to hear it, but I'm just telling you the truth and unfortunately, it isn't pretty."

"Jesus, I forgot how honest you are."

Emma gave him a wry smile. "You know what they say, honesty is the best policy."

"You could've sugar coat it," Tyler said, throwing her a napkin. She wrinkled her nose but laughed.

"You know I don't like to bullshit you." She leaned forward and reached to touch his hand that had a death grip on the fork. He reluctantly let it go. "You're my brother and I would do anything for you, I hope you know that."

Tyler looked at her and Emma hoped that she hadn't pushed it. Tyler was about to say something but became silent when Vicky approached them, asking if they were ready to order. Both quickly told her what they were still thinking about what they wanted and she left, not before giving Tyler an angry look.

"Are you really going out with Vicky Donovan?" Emma said when Vicky walked away from their table.

"You don't even know her, Emma," Tyler said.

"I know that she smokes weed every day. She reeks of drugs and alcohol. I could smell it a mile away from her."

"Wow, that's really hypocritical of you."

"Believe it or not, I never did drugs in high school. I stayed away from that shit. I was on track and volleyball, I would have gotten kicked out if they even caught me near a cigarette."

"Okay, so you didn't do drugs, but you were an alcoholic. You know how many times I had to cover for you. I had to pretend I had food poisoning one time because you threw up on the carpet."

Emma made a face, not happy that Tyler brought that up.

"Look, I know Vicky doesn't have the best reputation but I like her. And it would mean a lot to me if you tried to at least tolerate her. Or pretend too. For my sake."

"So she is your girlfriend?" Emma persisted.

Tyler hesitated. "Yeah, I guess she is."

Emma must have done a poor job to hide her disdain because it made Tyler sigh.

"I'm not going to marry her. Jeez, Emma. It's casual."

"Then why do you want me to like her? If it's casual then I have no business talking to her."

"Because that's what she wants from me to do."

"I don't get this whole casual relationship crap," Emma sighed. "I never dealt with that back when I was in school."

"You're twenty, not forty, Emma."

"I don't know what you teenagers do. But don't be an asshole. I'm not a fan of her, but I related her cause I'm a girl. So, make things official or man up and tell her that you just want to have sex with her."

Tyler groaned loudly and rubbed his face in frustration. "Can we talk about something else?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, you're the one that always has something to talk about."

"Fine," Emma said dramatically. "What's going on in high school? I know school started, but come on, it's high school. Something dramatic probably already happened."

"Wait," Tyler said eagerly, glancing around the restaurant and leaning forward, "are you actually pregnant?"

Emma spluttered in disbelief making him laugh and sit back.

"No, Tyler," she managed to spit out. "I'm not pregnant. Did Mom tell you that?"

"She is convinced that the reason you're taking a year off is that your pregnant and want to deal with it before you go back to school."

"Oh my God. No, I'm not pregnant. That's stupid. She acts like I never come and stay with you guys."

"Well, you don't," Tyler pointed out. "You're here for a week and then you leave. The longest that I've seen you was when I went to visit you in Florida last summer."

"I come for the holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring break, and during the summer sometimes. Wait, do you think that's why Mom is hung up on the baby thing?" She screwed her face in displeasure. "God, is Mom still with that idea?"

"At the beginning she was. She kept drilling me if I knew something."

"What you tell her?"

"Well, I told her that you haven't mentioned anything about me becoming an uncle. And then I told her that if you were pregnant, you wouldn't be dumb enough to tell Mom. You would do your best to hide it from us, not wanting to hear Mom and Dad call you the disappointment of the family. She should worry about that if you don't want to see her."

"Thanks, bro," Emma said dryly. Something must have caught Tyler's attention because his expression became darker. Emma tried to follow his gaze and saw a teenage boy, sitting on the table, probably waiting for someone. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Didn't you say you wanted to talk about something other than Vicky? So what's the matter?" she reminded him. In that instant, the guy turned and Emma managed to get a good whiff of him. She froze. That was the scent that caught her attention when she was outside. She couldn't believe she hadn't been able to identify it when she entered the restaurant.

 _Oh, fuck,_ she thought and could physically feel her palms begin to sweat. _This is not good. If I can smell it, it can smell me._

"Who's that?" Emma asked, unable to tear her eyes from him, which made Tyler leaned over and flick her on the head.

"He's my age, Emma. That's illegal," he said in disgust.

"Maybe he has an older brother," Emma said disinterestedly. She cleared her throat, realizing that it probably looked wrong the way she was staring at him. "But seriously, who's he?"

Tyler eyed her suspiciously before he answered. "His name is Stefan Salvatore. He's new to school. He already got recruited to be part of the team, which is bullshit. He just showed up one day and caught one ball and all of the sudden he's good enough to be in the team."

"Do you want me to like flirt with him?" Emma offered, trying to ease the tension. "Get him all hyped and then dump him on the day of the game to thrown him off?"

Tyler laughed loudly and shook his head. "Thanks, but he's kinda dating Elena Gilbert."

Emma recognized the name, but couldn't make a face of the person. She shrugged, not really caring. "Well, what about the coach? I'll make him change his mind and kick him out."

Tyler grimaced. "If you're into old guys, then go ahead."

"Do you think I sleep myself out of problems?" she asked, offended.

"You don't?" Tyler said, sounding a little too surprised.

She flipped him off.

"I'm trying to help you out, asshole and that's how you treat me? Come on, dude. Something's bothering you, besides you know Vicky and the new guy."

"There's nothing wrong," he shrugged her off.

"Come on, Tyler. I know we're not like super close, but you can rant to me. After all, no one understands a Lockwood than a Lockwood."

It didn't take long for Tyler to explode and tell her everything that's been going on with his life. He complained about Jeremy, Vicky, the new kid, their parents, the pressure he was getting from their father. It was obvious that Tyler had been holding up his emotions and now that he was given an opportunity, he couldn't stop.

Emma couldn't help Tyler with everything, he knew that. But Tyler didn't need someone to fix his problems, he just wanted someone to listen to him. As much as she loved her parents, they weren't the best when it came to comfort them. Emma was going to do her best to be there for Tyler. He was, after all, one of the reasons why she was back in Mystic Falls.

* * *

In the end, Tyler and Emma choose not to eat. They paid their bill and made their way back home. Tyler had brought his car, something she was grateful for. Driving back to their house, Tyler caught up Emma on what she had missed this summer. For a small town, she was surprised at how different things were. When they pulled in to the driveway, she noticed that there were no other cars. Inside, she couldn't hear anyone roaming around the grand house.

"Where are our parents?' Emma wondered aloud.

"Probably in a meeting," Tyler muttered, not sharing the same concern as his sister. He probably was used to being an empty house. "They usually are out during the weekdays, busy with meetings and other things."

"Are those meetings every day?"

"Sometimes, they always have one on Mondays."

"What the hell can they talk about in those meetings? The overpopulation of the squirrels?" Emma asked sarcastically.

"I don't know, and I don't really care. Its better for me that there never around."

Emma followed Tyler into the dining room. She contemplated what Tyler told her. Her parents not being home most of the time would work to her benefit. She had been thinking how she would explain her absence during the full moon. She might be an adult, but she knew they would get angry if they would see her out late. If they were out in meetings, she would have one less thing to worry about.

"Are those yours?" Tyler asked, pointing at two boxes that were on the dining table.

"Shit, I forgot about those two," she said. "I should take them to my room before my mom sees them."

"Let me help." He was about to pick up one of the boxes when his phone started ringing. "Wait, hold on."

"Is it Dad?" she asked, noticing how unhappy Tyler looked when he saw was calling him.

"I wish," he muttered and sighed. "It's Vicky."

"Wow. So that's the look of love. I think I've had it in every guy I've been with."

Tyler threw her a dirty look. "I'll help you out in a minute. I just need to talk to her," he said and answered the phone call. He stepped out of the dining hall and went to the living room.

Emma took the opportunity to carry the boxes up the stairs. She didn't want Tyler to figure out how heavy they really are. At the time she had been packing, she hadn't considered the weight that a human could pick up so she had been surprised when one of the movers dropped the box. She didn't want to make the same mistake with Tyler.

"Emma, what the hell, you're going to get hurt. Let me help you," Tyler said from the bottom of the stairs. He didn't wait for Emma's answer, which was no, and rushed up the stairs and grabbed one of the boxes. He grunted at the unexpected weight and almost dropped the box. Emma had to use her hands to push the box up. "What the fuck, Emma. What is in here?"

"Clothes. Lots and lot of jeans," she explained hastily and walked up the stairs faster. Tyler continued grunting behind her. "I work out, unlike you."

She felt Tyler kick the back of her chin making her yelp and almost lose her balance. She turned her head and glared at him.

"Asshole."

"I work out," he defended himself and with the box nudged her to keep moving. She started moving forward without a problem and smiled to herself when she could hear Tyler struggling going up the stairs. She dropped the box on the floor and plopped herself on the bed. A minute later, Tyler reached her room and dropped the box next to another one.

"Took you long enough."

"Fuck, Emma, what the hell does this box have?" he muttered and threw himself next to her on the bed, laying on his back. His breathing was heavy, and his face was slightly pink.

"The essentials," she said and poked his pink cheek. "It wouldn't have been too hard if you've worked out."

He slapped her hand away from his face. "Fuck off, Emma. How did you not fall on your face with the weight? Are you sure you're not the one on steroids?"

"I told, I work out."

"What have you been doing? I need to know."

She shrugged, not bothering to answer and instead, opened the box that she carried. She made a face when she saw how wrinkled her clothes were.

"So, are you tired?" Tyler asked, sitting up from the bed.

"Yeah. It was a long drive and I was out with Mom all day shopping." She wrinkled her nose at the reminder of the dresses her mom forced her to try on. "It was life draining."

"Is it for the Founders Ball?"

"Yep. I kinda wished I would have come a few weeks after this bullshit." She kicked one of the boxes. "I haven't been to one of those Founders Balls in like three years. They were so boring. I would always get in trouble."

"Because you would get angry at Mom and then get really drunk. I'm surprised you even remember them. So, I don't know what you're talking about it being boring. You literally where the reason why I looked forward to Founders Ball."

"Oh my God, you were the one who would sneak me the champagne glasses."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that part. I only did that twice. Mom caught me and almost murdered me. I got lucky that she didn't tell dad. She was so mad at you that she forgot about me."

"What was the whole point of this conversation?" she asked.

"Oh, right. I was asking if you weren't tired because I know you arrived last night really late. But I wanted to know if you wanted to join me tomorrow for my morning run?"

Emma stopped rifling through the boxes and considered it. Tyler liked to go for a run every morning, and whenever Emma would be in town, she usually would join him. Back in Florida, she would go for runs too but in the late afternoon, so she didn't mind running in the morning with Tyler. She usually wouldn't join him her first day back, being tired from the plane ride and simply wanting to stay in, but Emma was considering joining him tomorrow. Maybe it was her nerves or boredom, but Emma wanted to do something productive.

"Sure, I'll go with you. But can it only be two miles? I'm still a little tired."

"Sure, I'll take it easy on you. Didn't expect you to keep up."

"Bite your tongue. I'm tired right now but we both know that I can easily beat you any other day."

Tyler grinned at her. "Whatever. I still am the better athlete of the family."

"You wish," Emma scoffed and threw him the pillow back at her. He dodged it swiftly and threw the pillow back at her. She stepped to the side, and instead of flying out of through the open door, it hit Richard Lockwood right in the face. He had chosen that moment to walk into the room. The grins of the Lockwood siblings slipped and they looked at each other in worry.

"Hey, Dad. I missed you," Emma said airily, as if they hadn't smacked him with a pillow, and went over to hug him. He stiffened at her tight embrace, unable to return the gesture or push her away. Behind her, Tyler tried to hide his laughter unsuccessfully.

"Emma," Richard said stiffly. "I'm glad you got here safely, but let me go."

"Oh, right, sorry. I just got excited to see you," Emma said and released him. She stepped back and smiled widely, knowing how uncomfortable it made him. Richard returned the smile, although not as genuine as his daughter, and gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze.

"Did you miss me?" she asked.

"Yes, I did."

Despite his stiff demeanor, Emma believed him. She heard his heartbeat remain steady, a sign that he was telling the truth.

"Really? Because I remember you complaining about her coming back during one of our diners," Tyler spoke up, earning a glare from Emma and Richard. "It's a joke. That might've been me complaining."

"Asshole," Emma mouthed at Tyler, who shrugged. She turned to her father and asked, "How was today?"

"It was good," he said and glanced at Tyler. "Tyler your mother wants to speak to you." Richard turned his focus on his eldest daughter. "I need to speak to you in private. Let's go to my study."

"Yeah, okay," Emma said, and when Richard turned around, Tyler mouthed, _What the fuck?_

She shrugged, equally confused and followed her dad, a little wary of what exactly he wanted from her.

* * *

It was strange to be allowed to be sitting in a place that most of her childhood, Emma had not been allowed to enter. As kids, Emma and Tyler would sneak into it to play board games whenever their father was out. She could still remember the exhilarating sensation of slipping into the dark room and reminding Tyler not to make any noise. They stopped playing when Emma was fifteen and Tyler was eleven because their mom had found them and grounded them.

"Your mother is happy that you're here," Richard told her taking a seat in office desk. "She hated that you lived so far away, even though Mason was there."

"I missed her too," Emma said. She didn't miss that her father only mentioned her mother and no himself. She wasn't surprised. Richard wasn't the most affectionate parent. He left that to Carol, who was strict but more affectionate.

"I was going to meet with you earlier but I got caught up at work."

"That's okay," Emma said. "It gave me time to unpack and organize my room. And I got to spend some time with Tyler."

"That's good. Tyler needs a good influence. I know that you can stop him from making your past mistakes. He's on his last two years of high school, he needs to focus on school. "

"He seems pretty focus to me."

Richard didn't seem to hear her. He had chosen that moment to stand up and go over to one of his cabinets and pulled out a bottle of bourbon and two glasses. Emma raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Let's keep this between the two of us," Richard told his daughter, giving her a smile. She nodded silently and accepted the drink when he handed her one.

The first thing she noticed was that the bourbon smelled terrible. She leaned in and sniffed. When she caught the whiff of a something, she stilled. She glanced at her dad and saw that he was looking at her expectantly.

"Cheers," she said, raising the glass and he did the same thing. Reluctantly, she took a small sip and instantly blanched at the taste bourbon. She had never liked how it tasted, but the one her dad gave her tasted terrible. It burned her throat. She sniffed the bourbon and had to bite her tongue from hissing at how strong the scent was.

There was something in the drink. She didn't recognize the smell, which made her uneasy. She couldn't pinpoint what the herb was, but besides the horrid taste it left in her mouth, it seemed to be relatively harmless. Emma doubted that her father would try to drug her. She looked up from her drink and realized that Richard had been looking at her the entire time.

"What's wrong? Taste disgusting?" Richard guessed.

"Yeah, a little," she admitted. For some reason, he looked satisfied with her answer. Had this been some test to see if she drank?

"So, what's the occasion of giving alcohol to your twenty-year-old daughter?" Emma asked and forced herself to take another small sip. She tried to not cough at the burning sensation.

"I will admit, that I wasn't thrilled that you decided to take a year off before you went back to law school, but talking to your mother, I could see that you being here might be a good idea."

"Really?" Emma asked skeptically.

He nodded, looking thoughtful and took a sip of his drink. "It would be a good idea for you to get involved in the politics of the town. You're old enough, and I see that you have grown the past years."

Emma didn't know how she felt about her father praising her growth. Richard Lockwood had made it clear that he found Emma immature and an embarrassment. Which is why every time she would visit her family, he would keep her away from his coworkers or anybody that he deemed important. So, this sudden change of heart made Emma a little cautious.

"So, I'm no longer an embarrassment?"

"Emma," Richard said sharply. "Your past actions have embarrassed the family. I tried to be patient with you, and I'm hoping that you've grown up and learned from your mistakes. This is your chance to prove yourself. Your _only_ chance."

Emma stared at her dad and felt that same sensation whenever she talked to him: the overwhelming fear of letting him down. Which was stupid, since she's done it countless times. It was funny how nothing has really changed between. He still made her feel small and helpless, and she wanted to prove herself to him.

"You're right, I am sorry, you know that somethings I speak before I think," she apologized, her voice heavy. "I promise you that I'm not going to do anything that's going to embarrass you. Things are going to be different, for the better."

Richard gave her a satisfied nod. "Glad that it's settled."

Emma gave him a strained and took another sip of the bourbon, trying to not grimace at the disgusting taste. She didn't come to Mystic Fall to take part in the politics, but if that would keep her parents happy and out of her hair, then she would do anything they wanted her to.


End file.
